CANS Hearing Our Needs Report Summary

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HEARING OUR NEEDS Research exploring the Mental Health and Emotional Well-being needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities in Northern Ireland. Click the link  for a 16 page summary document of the report –  CANS Hearing Our Needs Project 16 Pager ReportCANS Hearing Our Needs Project 16 Pager Report

Free Immigration Clinic at ACSONI every Wednesday

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ACSONI Partners with JMS Immigration Solicitors to offer Free weekly Immigration Clinic to Community

JMS Immigration Solicitors launched their first Immigration Clinic on Wednesday 8 February 2023 at ACSONI in South Belfast.

The Immigration Clinic is FREE and aims to deal with all immigration matters including Asylum, Refugees, Leave To Remain and varying types of Visas.

The free Immigration Clinic will be held every Wednesday at ACSONI,  1st Floor, 9 lower Crescent, Belfast m, BT7 1NR

 

The service is a ‘walk-in’ service, no appointment required every Wednesdays from 11am to 1pm.

 

In Focus – The Good Friday/Belfast Agreement     

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Youth Link: NI is inviting youth workers, teachers, volunteers, and other practitioners who work with young people, in different contexts, to participate in Keeping the Peace, a conversation series that will bring into focus different aspects of peacebuilding and community relations. 

As part of the Practical Reconciliation Project funded by Community Relations Council (CRC), Youth Link: NI will provide the space for practitioners to reflect on the progress that we have made in Northern Ireland and consider how we can continue to build together on the vision for a shared, inclusive, and flourishing community, for everyone who calls this place home. Youth Link: NI will capture the views shared and use these to inform the development of practical tools and resources that can support young people explore peace & reconciliation themes in today’s context.

The first conversation in the series will focus on the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement (see flyer attached). April 2023 marks the 25th Anniversary of the signing of this Agreement, and this session will be an opportunity for youth workers, teachers, and volunteers to:

  • Reflect on the impact of the Agreement and take stock on where we are at now as a society.
  • Share the challenges that are experienced by young people in our communities; and
  • Consider what is needed to address these challenges to improve outcomes for young people and build a sustainable peace.                                        

WHEN  2.30pm – 4.30pm Tuesday 4 April 2023   WHERE Youth Link, 638 Springfield Road, Belfast, BT12 7DY

To register your attendance for the first conversation session, please can you complete the following form https://forms.gle/b9xZ8Wn63wAxZdiL9 by 4pm on Thursday 30 March 2023

Youth Link are also engaging with young people as part of the project. If your youth group would be interested, and/or you would like further information about the wider Reconciliation Project in Youth Link, please contact Joanne Stainsby, Research and Curriculum Development Officer, joanne@youthlink.org.uk                                                                                                                 

Please also feel free to share this with your colleagues.

Community feedback, input and support inspire ACSONI to expand its capacity and reach through smart partnership and capacity building.

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ACSONI Board of Trustees, management and staff were delighted this Friday 10th March to host the first in a series of Community Dialogues with members of the community, community organisation representatives and other stakeholders. The meeting was held in person at 2 Royal Avenue in Belfast and was supported by an online Zoom Uplink.

Unfavourable weather conditions and other commitments did not deter members of the wider African & Caribbean community or those with linkages from attending in person or online. ACSONI Board of Trustees, management and staff are humbled and encouraged by the support and attendance of old friends in the sector as well as new members of the community who participated for the first time in an ACSONI community driven initiative, the support is felt and valued.

Updates on issues raised and actions initiated will be published in an official statement via the website in the course of the week.

 

Dr Livingstone Thompson, Chair of ACSONI Board of Trustees welcomes the community gathering. He is flanked from left to right by Omer Osman [Business Manager], Shannon Doherty [Key Support Worker], Rebecca Schwindt {Finance Administrator, Simon Barr [Trustee], Lorraine Gatsi-Barnett [Treasurer], Takura Makoni [Policy Officer], Anurag Deb [Secretary]
Members of the community were represented online via Zoom as well as in person.

 

Omer Osman, ACSONI Business Manager elucidates his role to the gathering during the introductions

 

Concerned members of the community made their contributions.

 

Community groups were represented by their delegates and made their submissions and recommendations.

 

Health & Mental Wellbeing specialists in the minority ethnic sector were on hand to make observations, recommendations and give guidance in matters concerning the overall wellbeing of migrant residents of Northern Ireland within the context of ACSONI’s mission statement. Dr Lekan  Ojo-Okiji Abasi – CANs [Counselling All Nations]
Fellow sector organisations and activists were in attendance [Tura Aratura – Africa House NI]
Alfred Abolarin [Head Convenor – NIACLC, Founder – MME Council, Founder & Head of Strategy ACSONI, 2003] puts across his cogitations to the assembly.
Former Manager of ACSONI, Arts & Culture professional and Artist manager Joseph Ricketts articulates his views.

 

The community dialogue was an opportunity to meet new and familiar people, network and build foundations for smart partnerships that benefit the whole community including visitors to this island.

 

The community dialogue was the first of a series of continued and regular community consultations which are necessary mechanism in the ACSONI strategic plan.

 

There was unanimous agreement that ACSONI should continue regular community dialogues and maintain the spirit of collective responsibility and inclusiveness that has sustained the organisation for several years.

African and Caribbean communities in Northern Ireland represented at Peace Summit 2023.

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Dr Livingston Thompson recently contributed to the Peace Summit in his capacity as  Chair of ACSONI and the Racial Equality Subgroup in The Executive Office. The Peace Summit 2023 focused on peace in Northern Ireland, 25 years on from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
(Photo – Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)
(Photo – Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)

Belfast Met: The Learner Support Fund is still available for new applicants.

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Learner Support Fund (Hardship)

The Learner Support Fund is still available for new applicants. If you are in financial need and require assistance with any of the following categories, please apply.

· Course Fees
· Additional Living Costs (Full Time Only)
· Travel Costs
· Books and equipment costs (essential/required)
· Childcare Costs
All students must exhaust all other available sources before applying (please refer to the attached Terms and conditions for details on what this could mean to you)

All applicants must read the Guidance notes/Terms and Conditions before submitting an application (attached for your convenience).

To start the application form please click here or you can access it via the Student Funding canvas page and clicking the Learner Support Fund application button. Please read the eligibility criteria within the terms and conditions before beginning the application.

Please note: Your progress on completed sections is auto saved to your student Microsoft account on the device you are using. So you can stop at any point and return to the form at a later stage, if you do not have the necessary information/evidence to hand.

Term 2 closing date will be 31st March 2023.

Any applications received by midnight on 31st March 2023 will be assessed and if successful will be back dated to the start of term 2.

The assessment process can take up to 6 weeks (excluding term breaks) from your submission date depending on application number. As soon as there is an decision made on your application you will be notified in writing to your student email account.

To ensure you are assessed for maximum support available, we advise applying a soon as possible. If you would like to get in touch email studentfunding@belfastmet.ac.uk

Please note: This message is for new applicants, if you have already applied this academic year and been successful please do not submit another application for the same course you have already been assisted with.

Regards,

Student Funding.

 

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has recently published a report on excess mortality and Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland up to December 2022.

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NORTHERN IRELAND STATISTICS AND RESEARCH AGENCY

09 March 2023

Excess mortality and Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland: March 2020 to December 2022

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has today published a report on excess mortality and Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland up to December 2022.

This shows that there were an estimated 4,075 excess deaths from March 2020 to December 2022, 9.0% above expected levels. The figures also show that in the same period, there were 5,060 Covid‑19 related deaths.

Excess deaths are the difference between actual deaths from all causes in a period minus the expected number of deaths based on the average deaths for the same period over the previous five years; therefore, no individual death can be assigned as being an excess death.  Last year, excess deaths were highest in July and December 2022. Deaths were below expected levels in January/February and September 2022.

The number of Covid-19 related deaths in hospital (3,536) was more than three times larger than estimated excess deaths in hospitals (1,056). The majority of Covid-19 related deaths (69.9%) occurred in hospital. In contrast, estimates of excess deaths at home formed the majority of overall excess deaths (3,176 or 77.9% of 4,075).

Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon LGD had the largest estimate of excess deaths (523), accounting for 12.8% of the 4,075 excess deaths in Northern Ireland. It had also the highest excess deaths as a proportion of expected deaths (11.4%); Belfast LGD had the lowest proportion (4.5%).

Excess deaths were higher in rural areas (11.9%) compared to urban areas (7.4% above expected levels); excess deaths in rural areas (1,572) outnumbered its Covid-19 related deaths (1,472).

From March 2020 to September 2022, the number of deaths where Covid-19 was found to be the underlying cause (4,028) was higher than excess mortality in this 31-month period (3,661). Noteworthy levels of excess deaths were found for diseases of the digestive system (342 or 16.0% above expected levels) and diabetes (156 or 26.2% above expected levels).

There were fewer deaths in hospitals, care homes and hospices during the pandemic (negative excess deaths) and more deaths at home and other settings for malignant neoplasms, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, circulatory and respiratory diseases. Deaths caused by diseases of the digestive system went up in all settings, but most markedly at home (44.3%).

Excess deaths from diseases of the digestive system were markedly higher for females (17.8%), those aged 75 to 84 years (22.8%) and in the Southern and Western Health & Social Care Trusts (23.3% and 23.6% respectively).

Deaths due to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were below expected levels in urban areas (-4.3%) and above expected levels in rural and mixed urban/rural areas (9.2%).

Notes to Editors:

  1. The full report and detailed tables are available at: https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/excess-mortality-covid-19-related-deaths-december-2022
  2. Statistics on weekly deaths registered in Northern Ireland can be found at: https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/death-statistics/weekly-death-registrations-northern-ireland
  3. These provisional statistics are based on death registration information collected by the General Register Office. The occurrence-based statistics (to end December 2022) take account of registrations up to 22 February 2023, to allow for delays in death registrations.
  4. Excess mortality can be used to measure of the impact of the Covid‑19 pandemic, as it does not rely on the availability or interpretation of the (primary and secondary) causes of death. It captures deaths from all causes, which may be related to a range of factors associated with the pandemic, for example, changes in the availability or uptake of health care services including screening and diagnosing, or the impact of ‘lock‑down’ on people’s mental health. Some of these effects may take months or years to be fully understood.
  5. Excess mortality is the difference between actual deaths from all causes in a period minus the expected number of deaths, which is based on the number of deaths in the previous five years. It is therefore a mathematical concept; it is not possible to identify if an individual death was an excess death. In contrast, the analysis of Covid‑19 related deaths to which this report makes comparisons, is based on individual deaths where Covid-19 was included on the death certificate. These cannot be automatically classed as excess deaths. Therefore, the two analyses should not be combined or differenced as this will not yield valid conclusions.
  6. Covid‑19 related deaths are all deaths where Covid‑19 was mentioned on the death certificate by the doctor who certified the death, whether or not Covid-19 was the primary underlying cause of death. The figures include cases where the doctor noted that there was suspected or probable coronavirus infection involved in the death.
  7. The underlying cause for a relatively large number of deaths that occurred in the last three months of 2022 was not available at time of analysis, therefore the analysis of excess mortality by underlying cause of death covers a shorter 31-month period up to September 2022.
  8. This report was created within the Administrative Data Research Northern Ireland (ADR NI), a partnership between the Administrative Data Research Centre Northern Ireland (ADRC NI), and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Together they support the acquisition, linking and analysis of administrative data sets, developing cutting-edge research to improve knowledge, policymaking and public service delivery.
  9. Further information on the statistics provided in this publication can be obtained from NISRA Customer Services at:  Telephone: +44 (0)300 200 7836; email: demography@nisra.gov.uk  Responsible Statistician: Dr Jos IJpelaar
  10. Media enquiries should be addressed to the Department of Finance Press Office on Tel: 028 9081 6724 or email dof.pressoffice@finance-ni.gov.uk
  11. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for Media Enquiries Only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.
All announcements are issued by individual Local Government Departments and in turn forwarded by the Belfast Healthy Cities Information Service.  All queries should be addressed to the relevant Department directly.

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Register to gain access for Online Zoom Link for today’s Community Dialogue

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Dear valued Community Member,

The Trustees and Staff of ACSONI are inviting you to community conversation, which will take place at 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1DA on Friday 10 March 2023, starting at 4:30pm.

It will be an opportunity to meet the Trustees and Staff and know in more detail about our programme of work and how it relates to the needs of our community. More importantly, it will be a time when you can help to identify additional issues for priority attention.

You are invited to a Zoom meeting if you are unable to make it due to adverse weather conditions or otherwise

When: Mar 10, 2023 04:30 PM London

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUuf-qgqj8qE9wT6NHCbFGivsP0wVFWVCRu

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Registrations picking up pace for Friday’s African & Caribbean Community Dialogue

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The Trustees and Staff of ACSONI are inviting members of the African and Caribbean community to this community conversation, which will take place at 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1DA on Friday 10 March 2023, starting at 4:30pm to 6pm. The meeting is part of a series of community dialogues, and aims to be broad-ranging and inclusive. ACSONI therefore invites you to bring forward your questions, concerns, and suggestions.

It will be an opportunity to meet the Trustees and Staff and know in more detail about our programme of work and how it relates to the needs of our community. More importantly, it will be a time when you can help to identify additional issues for priority attention.

We look forward to seeing you on Friday 10th March at 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast at 430pm. Light beverages will be available including Halaal, Vegetarian and Vegan options.

Please register for the event via the link below, this will help us to ensure we cater for everyone as there is limited capacity.

: https://lnkd.in/erVNpSUe

Registration for online attendees will be available by alternative registration.

Applications open for the 9th series of Junior Bake Off!

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Love Productions; the company behind The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down are delighted to announce that applications are now open for the 9th series of Junior Bake Off; a Channel 4 programme that celebrates the culinary talent and ambition of the younger generation.

With this in mind, they are contacting communities right across the country to the spread the word that applications are open!

It would be great to find some young talented local bakers!

Please see below some more information about Junior Bake Off!

We are looking for young budding bakers between 9-12 years old.

Filming would take place from July 2023, but our applications close on Sunday 12th March 2023.

Interested bakers can apply online at – www.applyforjuniorbakeoff.co.uk

Please feel free to contact us on 0207 067 4883 or drop an email to Conor.Shutler@loveproductions.co.uk, should you have any questions regarding the attached flyer.